There have been suggestions in the prior art for nail holders and shields and the like for holding a nail during driving and/or protecting surfaces into which the nails are driven. Such prior devices have been cumbersome to positively locate in place during use, and have not had a great deal of versatility.
According to the present invention, apparatus is provided for protecting a surface into which fasteners are driven which may be readily held in place during use, and which apparatus is versatile. The apparatus according to the present invention is useful in protecting a surface into which nails are driven straight or in toenail fashion, for protecting the surface from damage from a screwdriver should the screwdriver slip while a screw is being driven into the surface to be protected, and indicia means are provided on the apparatus for use as a jamb trim set-back gauge for use to gauge trim set-back from the edge of the door jamb.
According to the present invention, apparatus for protecting a surface into which fasteners are driven is provided comprising a shield portion having a flat under-surface adapted to be disposed on the surface to be protected and a handle portion operatively connected to the shield portion. Means are provided defining at least one opening in the shield portion that is large enough to accommodate the head of a nail. Also, means are provided defining a screw-receiving opening in the shield portion, and including a tubular member upstanding from the shield portion and the screw-receiving opening, the tubular member having interior dimensions great enough to receive a screwdriver blade therein to guide a screwdriver as it drives a screw into a surface on which the shield is disposed. The apparatus preferably is made of an integral piece of impact-resistant plastic, and the shield portion has an upper-surface opposite the under-surface, the upper surface being flat except for the tubular member. One or more circular openings may be provided large enough to accommodate a nail head when driven straight through the shield portion, and an elongated open slot from an edge of the shield portion also is preferably provided, through which a nail may be driven toenail fashion. Indicia means are formed on the shield portion spaced from the edge of the shield portion in which the second opening is formed, for gauging door trim set-back.
According to another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for protecting a surface into which fasteners are driven is provided comprising a substantially polygon-shaped shield portion having a flat under-surface adapted to be disposed on the surface to be protected, the shield portion including first and second substantially parallel edges and third and fourth edges, at least one of which is substantially perpendicular to the first edge; and a handle portion operatively connected to and extending away from the shield portion second edge. Means are provided defining the first opening in the shield portion large enough to accommodate a nail head when driven straight through the shield, means defining a second opening in the shield portion extending as an elongated open slot from the first edge, and indicia means being provided formed spaced a predetermined distance from the first edge and formed on at least one of said third and fourth edges, for gauging door trim set-back. Preferably both the third and fourth edges are substantially perpendicular to the first edge, and the indicia means comprise one mark disposed three-eighths (3/8) inch from the first edge along the fourth edge, and another mark disposed one-quarter (1/4) inch from the first edge along the third edge. An intermediate portion is provided interconnecting the handle and the shield, the intermediate portion making a positive acute angle with both the shield and the handle portions so that the handle portion is generally parallel to the shield portion.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple and versatile tool for protecting a surface into which fasteners are driven. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.